where her heart lies
by the unfeeling rock
Summary: my sisters counted on me to protect them & i failed. now we're dead. something trails along my neck, making my pulse leap. wait. my pulse? i force my eyes open. i'm alive but definatly not the park where i suposedly died. & there's a strange boy who's face is dangerously close to mine. so i do the logical thing. i let out my highest pitched girl scream and punch him in the face
1. Chapter 1

**XXxXX Kurama**

I flop down on my bed, utterly exhausted. My shift was over for tonight, but they wanted me to work overtime tomorrow. I glance at the clock. 10:45pm. I glance over to my desk, my homework spread all over it. A five page book report for English, a math study guide 45 questions long, a write up on Mesopotamia for world history, and an at home lab for science. All due tomorrow. I sigh. What was the point? I was failing all the classes anyways. Hell, the only classes I wasn't failing were culinary arts and gym. I kick off my shoes, curling into a ball. Azusa and Hanayo should be home already. Their shifts ended half an hour ago. Well, Azusa's did anyway.

There's a clanking of bottles coming from down the hall. Sam must be chugging them down again. Ugh. He has no idea how hard the three of us work for the money he wastes on alcohol. I'm thirteen, and I have four jobs. Azusa and Hanayo are twelve, and sing in the street for spare coins. And the do as much baby sitting as possible just to help me put food on the table. We're just lucky we can get away with some jobs. We can look whatever age we need to. It's the magic of eyeliner, clothes that eighteen-year-olds should wear, and all our body modifications.

But then again, some people just took pity on us. Sam's unemployed, and Anna….I have no idea what she does. Sam and Anna are our parents, yet the farthest thing from the title.

About a ten months after I was born, Anna found out she was pregnant again. But when Azusa and Hanayo were born, it was obvious that Anna had an affair. They were fraternal twins. Hanayo was white blond like me, but had ice blue eyes. No one on Sam or Anna's side of the family had blue eyes. As for Azusa, she had bluish-black hair and dark purple eyes. Sam's side is all brunette. Anna's side is all blond. When Sam found out, it was so bad they deemed them both unfit parents, so they sent us to live with our Grandma Ruth.

She was the one to name them Rose and Jezebel Walker. As for me, I was Alice Walker. We spent our childhood being raised in the country side by Grandma Ruth, while our parents went to marriage counseling and did their best to patch up their relationship. Until the summer I turned 9, we lived happily. Then Grandma Ruth died in a car crash and we had to move back to the city. Our parents neglected us, so we were forced to fend for ourselves. The moment I realized that, it had been the death of Alice Walker.

Rose and Jezebel were starved for attention, and frankly, so was I. Sam and Anna treated us like we were shadows, or furniture. It was so different from how we lived with Grandma we didn't know how to respond. We tried everything to get their attention. We got in fights at school. Fistfights, against the school 'jocks.' We ditched. On field trips. We dyed our hair and got body piercings. And by the time we were all twelve, we got inked. And it was all free of charge, curtsey of a 'friend' of ours.

I knew Grandma Ruth would have disapproved of our actions. So to try and justify it, I got a tattoo of three Gladiolus blossoms on my left shoulder blade. Grandma had been a botanist, and had taught us the names and meanings of hundreds of flowers. So I picked the one that meant strength, and had each of us pick the colors of one flower. Curled around it was 'strength is a matter of the made-up' written in Hangul. Hey, even if this was just an attempt to get attention from our so called 'parents', it was going to be on my body for the rest of my life, it may as well mean something to me. My tattoo shows us tied as one. We have strength together.

Hanayo went a bit smaller than I did. She has the infinity symbol wrapped around her ring finger. Her desire and philosophy is, if love is true, it'll last forever. She also got the word heal written in Hangul on the outside of her right ankle. She has a snake earing that wraps around her left ear, much like the dragon I have on mine. They wrap around the outer shell of the ear, with the head resting next to the juncture between our ear and the rest of our head. She chose not to dye her hair, but still was around when Azusa and I got it done.

Azusa had short choppy black hair (curtsey of a pair of kitchen shears), with purple highlights. She was pale skinned as both me and Hanayo, although with her dark hair and eyes, she looked like a sheet. She was more daring than either of us on though, getting both a nose an eyebrow piercing. I just did my tragus and a navel piercing. Hanayo was reluctant to get anything other than her ears. Azusa had three tattoos, two stars on each of her pelvic bones and a music note under her left ear.

But not even that got us anything. We were out of ideas. In my frustration I got four more tattoos. 'There is something beautiful about all scars of whatever nature. A scar means the hurt is over, the wound is closed and healed, done with,' ran down the inside of my right arm. 'Eventually you will come to understand that love heals everything, and love is all there is,'ran down the inside of my left arm. 'Healing yourself is connected with healing others,' ran down my spine , and 'To heal from the inside out is the key,' was at the small of my back. All were in Hangul. I know I wasn't setting the best example for my sisters, but they didn't judge me to harshly.

After we took the time to reflect on what we'd done in the past few years, we were all in agreement that our former selves were gone. Alice was dead, and so were Rose and Jezebel. So, we began referring to ourselves by

different names. I became Kurama, Rose became Hanayo, and Jezebel become Azusa. That moment we cast aside all longing for our lost childhood, and began focusing on how we would survive until we could get out of this hell hole they call the city.

**XXxXX Hanayo**

"Ah crap its dark," I mutter to myself. I could no longer hear the comforting sounds of traffic rushing through the streets. I can almost imagine the look on my twin sister Azusa's face when I tell her I hadn't made a cent tonight. Her dark purple eyes would shift to the ground her shoulders will slump. I try to think of something to say that will make her feel better but nothing comes to mind.

I sing on the street corner by Jim's Deli every night trying to make money. We need everything we can get to survive. That's why our older sister Kurama works four jobs. Two of them to feed us. The other two to feed Sam's addiction. I tell her she works too hard but she tells me she has to. The love she has for us is overwhelming. Without her, I know I would be dead.

I look at my wrist trying to see my watch in the dark shadows of the ally. I can faintly make out that its 11:00. I pick up the pace. We need to get home soon. I don't want Kurama to worry about me on top of everything else. I go to turn the corner and the ground moves out from under my feet.

I open my eyes to find that my head is in a puddle. I must have tripped. I jog the rest of the way home. As I walk up the drive to our small house I hear a crash. Sam must be drinking again. I fumble in my bag for my key and when I find it, I take three yoga fire breaths before I put the key in the lock and twist it.

"Hey y-you. Do-do you have any idea what time it is?" I jump at the sound of Sam's voice. "Hey! I asked you a question Rose." He sneers my name in a way that makes me cringe. It's odd, he only refers to us by our names when he's drunk. "Yes, Sam I know what time it is." I reply. I try to get to the stairs but he stops me. "Why can't you call me daddy? I want you to call me daddy." Sam says. "You aren't my father," I say tonelessly. "I need to finish my homework."

"Oh so now homework is more important than me?" "I think everything is more important than you, Sam. Excuse me." I try to shove past him put he pushes me. He raises his hand like he's about to slap me and I close my eyes and scream. There's a swish of chains that causes me to open my eyes just a bit.

Kurama is standing over me, gripping Sam's arm. I've seen her mad before, but this time she's furious. "Get out of the way Jezebel, I need to discipline this little runt," he slurs. "First of all," she spits. "I'm Alice. Second of all, you do not refer to my little sister as a runt. And lastly, you have neglected us, made us skip out on a normal kid's life, and forced us to get multiple jobs; I refuse to let you add abuse to that list."

"Why you little-" He's cut off as the door swings open. Anna is standing there, lugging in Azusa. She has a death grip on her arm, forcing her in through the front door at an unnatural angle. I catch her before she hits the floor. "I want answers now!" Anna says venomously. "What are you doing out at this time?" "W-working," Azusa stammered. "Enough bull, tell the truth!" "It is the truth!" Kurama yells. "We, who clothe you, feed you, and give you a place to call home, asked a question. Answer it!" Anna yells. "SHUT THE HELL UP ANNA!" Kurama yells back.

"WE are the ones working. WE are the ones putting clothes on our backs and food on the table. WE even cover the rent and power bill! WE have no time to play or be kids, WE shouldn't need to cover for you sorry excuse for a guardian!" There's a whipping sound. This time Sam got her. Kurama's cheek is starting to swell. "Do not talk to your mother like that you little bitch." She glares at them. "You may have brought me into this world, but you're not my parents. Or theirs." She twitches her hand twice. Her signal for us to run. We jump up as she swings back, landing a punch square in Sam's face. She herself bolts as he falls into Anna, who freaks and lets him fall. By the time he's back on his feet, we're slamming our door shut.

**XXxXX Azusa**

"Quick, get the dresser," Kurama commands. She's hunched against the door. Footsteps are thundering in the hallway as Hanayo and I shove the dresser over. "OPEN THE DOOR!" Sam roars. He rams against it, causing Kurama to lurch forward a little. Trust us to have the only room in the house that doesn't have a lock. We hear him back up a bit, and Kurama joins us in pushing the dresser. Just as we have it within a few inches of the door, we hear him running down the hallway.

"C'mon, one last good shove," Kurama groans. He collides into the door, sending it flying open a few inches. Then it stops. We give one last shove and it slams the door into the frame. We collapse on the floor as angry howls and fists beat on the door. "We are not staying here," Kurama says, getting to her feet. She walks over to our bed, dumping the school stuff out of her backpack. "I'll get the clothes. You two get bathroom supplies and the money." We nod, following suit and emptying our bags.

Hanayo begins prying up a loose floorboard as Kurama ransacks our dresser, stuffing our clothes into our bags.

I walk over to our bathroom. I sigh as I grab our toothbrushes, shampoo, and soap. I'm not sure what exactly we are going to need, but I figure we can buy things as we need them. Surprisingly, I'm calm as I walk back into the bedroom. Sam's drunken rants never really bothered me as much as they bothered my sisters. Especially Hanayo since she tends to get really worked up over little things. I look at her now crouched on the floor handing money to our Unnie. I know how scared she must be but now really isn't the time for comforting.

I walk over to Kurama and hand her the bathroom supplies. She nods a thank you and I go over to help Hanayo with the money. "How are you feeling?" I whisper as I grab a handful of five dollar bills. "I'm scared, Azusa. Where are we going to go?" "I don't know and I don't care. I just want to get out of here." "I wish things could go back to the way they were when we were with Grandma." Hanayo says. I nod. I wonder if things will ever be like that again. Our so called "parents" had turned us into shells of our former selves. We all had to grow up way too fast. No twelve or thirteen year old should have to work as hard as we do.

I work at a daycare center. Because every twelve-year-old's dream is to wipe noses and clean diapers. I hadn't been inside an actual classroom in months. I just stopped going to school because I didn't see the point anymore. And even when I was in school I ditched after lunch. Kurama is still in school. I don't know how she does it but I admire her for working so hard.

And Hanayo? I'm not sure what she does on week days but I think she makes dresses and sells them to a small no name store near Jim's Deli. She has a knack for sewing. "Azusa?" Hanayo's voice stops my train of thought. "Are you ok? You've just been sitting there for two minutes." "Huh? Oh I'm fine." She gives me a worried glance before standing up. "Alright Unnie. That's all of our money." She says.

Kurama takes it, stuffing the wad of bills in a small leather pouch. She secures it before looping it around her neck, tucking in her shirt. "C'mon," she says as she pops out the screen in our window, grabbing her back pack. "Both of you get a good jacket and a pair of sneakers." We do as she says and follow her as she jumps out of our personal hell, and into the night.

**XXxXX **

Three girls wander the streets silently, pulling their jackets closer around them. "So, where are we headed?" one asks. She's relatively short, with long white-blond hair that flows to her mid-thigh. "I dunno," another says. She too is white-blond. Her hair hangs to her mid-thigh in a braid, the edges and her bangs dyed black. "We have a little over $260 between us, so I vote for hopping a train somewhere." "I wanna got to New York!" the shorter one yells. "OH! Me too!" the last one agrees. She has short bluefish-black hair, chopped at uneven lengths. It was as if the jobs was done with a pair of kitchen shears.

"Shhhhhh! Quiet!" the taller blond yells. "We'll get caught if you're too loud Hanayo." The small blond nods. "Sorry Kurama," she says. "It's alright," the older girl whispers. "Let's just find somewhere to stay the night. I'm beat." The younger girls nod. "Let's go to that tree house they have in the park," Hanayo suggests. "Alright," Kurama sighs. "Just don't wander off. Especially you Azusa," she says to the raven haired girl. "We'll spend the night there and go to the station in the morning."

Then there's a clicking sound. "So, you chicks are loaded?" a raspy voice asks. They freeze, stiffening. "W-what?" Kurama asks. There's another clicking sound. "We heard about that cash you guys have on ya."Another voice says. She turns her head. Two men are standing in the dimly lit street, their faces hidden by shadows. Their arms are extended towards the girls. There is a glint of silver in the dimness. Guns.

"Just hand it over and we'll be on our way," one of them says. Kurama faces them, visibly shaking but a determined look on her face. She makes a twitching movement with her hand twice. Hanayo and Azusa share a panicked glance before they tear down the street, Kurama hot on their heels."Hide!" she whispers as she pulls ahead of them. They stumble a bit over the uneven pavement, pushing their legs to go faster. Each having similar thoughts of how luck it was that they all had the fastest mile times in their gym period.

They reach the park, flying over the damp grass. Kurama heads for the old bridge motioning for the twins to follow her. They duck under it, shaking badly. "J-J-just try and keep quiet," Kurama stammers. They nod, unable to form words. Their breath clouds around them, coming out in short pants. The sounds of footsteps hitting the pavement get louder, stopping at the other side of the playground. "We just have to wait them out," Kurama whispers, as much for herself as for her sisters.

They flinch as they hear a call to split up. They tremble in silence as the sounds of footsteps grow fainter. "Where are we gonna go now?"Hanayo whispers. "We could spend the night at the daycare," Azusa whispers."I-I have a key." The other two nod, extremely happy that their sister chose to work with the infants at the daycare center. "Which way?" Kurama asks. Azusa points back the way they came, earning a sigh of relief form her twin. "I'll lead," she says, carefully crawling out from under the bridge. "Just keep close to me."

The other girls follow quietly, scanning the surroundings."I think we're clear," Kurama whispers. Azusa nods, then starts creeping to towards the street. Just as she waves us over, a deafening bang sounds over the park. Azusa lets out a blood curdling scream as she drops like a stone, clutching her shoulder. Kurama and Hanayo rush over, screams of their own stuck in their throat. They hoist Azusa to her feet, stumbling away as fast as they can. They duck behind a low wall as more shots fill the air.

Azusa's arm is gushing, the blood staining her cloths and her sister's arms. The bullet is lodged deep within her shoulder. Tears run down her cheeks as she clutches it, gritting her teeth to hold back her screams. Her sisters hug her, trying to muffle the panicked noises that escaped their throats. "C-c-can you stand?" Hanayo asks. Azusa nods, biting her lip. "W-w-we need to get help," Kurama stammers. "They're gonna turn us back to Sam and Anna," Azusa whimpers.

"We can always run again once you're healed," Kurama says."N-no," Azusa growls. "C'mon, we've seen the This Is War music video enough times to know what to do." "This isn't a music video Azusa!" Hanayo whisper/yells. "The chances aren't worth it. You may never be able to use that arm again if we don't get you to a hospital." Kurama nods, then her eyes widen and she releases a scream as a hand fists itself I Hanayo's hair.

She's yanked upwards as she thrashes around, clawing at the fingers buried in her hair. "Let go you freaking psycho!" she screeches. She digs he nails into the hand holding her, making the man swear under his breath. There's a glint of silver as a strangled gasp leaves her lips. Her arms move down to her chest, gaping at the thin sliver of metal protruding from it. Her sisters let out screams of their own as the blade is removed, and the man lets Hanayo's limp body flop to the ground and goes to run around the wall.

She hits the concrete with a sickening thud. Blood seeps onto the surrounding area as Kurama drags her over. Hanayo's eyes are glazed over as her breathing comes out in shallow pants. "Azusa, can you walk on your own?"she asks while pulling Hanayo onto her back. her sister nods, struggling to get to her feet. "Hospital," Kurama says, jerking her chin in the general direction. Azusa nods as she shuffles over, her lip bitten and bleeding. "We need to hur-" Kurama stops mid-sentence as she no longer feels Hanayo's breath on the back of her neck.

Tears leak from her eyes as she looks at Azusa. Understanding flashes across her face as more tears flow down her cheeks."N-no," she chokes out. "Hanayo!" She's about to take a step forward when another bang sounds. Kurama's eyes widen even more as he sees the bullet fly over her shoulder and bury itself in her sister's neck. She falls forward, onto the cement, her eyes wide and lifeless. A scream bubbles up in Kurama's throat as she feels a pair of hands grab her shoulders.

Another set covers her mouth and holds a knife to her throat. "This could have been avoided," one man growls into her ear. "You didn't need to sacrifice the lives of your companions." Tears flow freely down her face as the tip of the blade digs into the skin of her throat. "People like you don't deserve to exist." And with that the blade is drawn across her throat.

**XXxXX**

In three different parts of Konoha, three boys eyes shot open at the same time. It was late, and all surroundings were blacked out around them. Their breathing slowed as they realized it had all been a dream. But what worried them the most was that it had been so vivid. It was as if they had been trapped on the opposite side of a glass wall. They had all experienced a similar feeling of helplessness as they watched the girls die. It also gave them all a disgusted feeling, seeing a man ruthlessly kill a girl with no combat experience.

And as they all drifted back to sleep, they tried to push the images of the girl's bodies lying in a bloody heap. They tried to blame it on nerves for tomorrow's first training exercise with their new sensei. And as they closed their eyes and steadied their heartbeat, an individual face was imprinted on the back of their eyelids. So familiar, yet they knew they had never seen a girl like that in their lives. And probably never would. And with that one thing reassuring them, they fell back into unconsciousness.

**XXxAuthor's NotesxXX**

**Mitsu-chan: Yay! We finally got this up!**

**Hana: Meow, some of us have been working on this for weeks *glares at Meimei***

**Meimei: I was sleeping and eating**

**Hana: we thought you fell off the face of the earth **

**Meimei: I was sleeping **

**Mitsu-chan: well, while they fix this problem, please R&R. it has a major impact on how soon we update : ) **


	2. Chapter 2

**XXxXX Shikamaru **

Training with this idiot is so troublesome… Why couldn't it at least be someone cute… "Ino, detach from Shikamaru and train properly. Now." Asuma tells the blonde attached to my left arm. "Yeah, Ino," Choji starts off, "You've been, uh, closer to Shikamaru lately… why is that?" "I can't hug one of my best friends?" She asks rubbing her cheek on my shoulder. "No, you can't, now please-" Suddenly, an incredibly loud bang rings over the training grounds, echoing throughout the rest of the area. Ino pulls away and Choji sniffs the air; because he's tasted and smelled so many foods, he can detect different smells from miles away. "What is it, Choji?" I ask still looking in the direction of the forest. "I can't seem to pick a strong scent… but I do smell blood." He replies as he continues to sniff the air. "Can you show us the way? As fast as possible?" Asuma asks him. Choji nods and we take off into the forest.

Taking my place in between Choji and Ino and behind Asuma, I ask, "How far away do you think it is, Choji?" "Not that far, just up ahead." "So is it just blood or can you smell anything else?" Asuma asks him. Choji shakes his head, "My nose can't pick more than the blood, sorry." "I guess we'll just find out when we get there…" I murmur as we pick up the pace.

We stop when we reached a clearing and I peek out from behind Asuma, not believing who was really there. This had to be some kind of genjutsu, because this just can be real. A trick? A prank? No, it looked all too real.

**XXxXX Asuma**

I watch as Shikamaru takes a couple steps towards the three girls lying there. Then, he takes off towards the smallest one as fast as he could. That had to be the most he's ever moved while being on my team. He slides up next to her right side and gets on his knees, looking down at her.

**XXxXX Shikamaru **

It was her. Azusa. The girl from my dreams. I move her short purple highlighted black hair out of her face to get a better look and sure enough, she had the same eyebrow and nose piercing as she did in my dream. The rest of my team eventually catches up but I don't pay attention to them, I'm too busy looking for her music note tattoo. Yep, that was there too, along with the stars on her hips and the lily on her shoulder.

I pick up her head slightly, taking a closer look at her facial features. My eyes wander down to the rest of her body. She wore the same baggy black short sleeve low cut shirt that cut off above her stomach with fishnet sleeves that reached down to her wrists but were cut off by her black biker gloves; the same black jeans with jeans that were tight around her waist and thighs but flared out at her calves… and the same Vans sneaker with writing all over them.

Looking back up to her pale face, I realize she was breathing. I let out a sigh of relief and Asuma kneels down next to me. "Will she be okay?" He asks looking at me. I nod and just in case, I check her pulse. Normal. I move another strand of her hair and look down at the two scars on her neck and shoulder. Hmmm, that's where she got shot in my dream. I brush my fingers down the side of her face and Choji slides his jacket under her head.

Beautiful, that's what she was. I lay her head down softly and continue to look down at her face. "Dude," Choji says looking down at her, "What if she's like sleeping beauty and she won't wake up unless you kiss her." He asks me giggling. "No way, dude, grow up…" I reply to him getting a closer look at her. By this time, the other rookie groups were here and looking at Azusa's sisters. I move her bangs out of her face and a slight moan comes out.

**XXxXX Azusa**

Okay, whoa. My head feels like it's about to explode. It feels like… a hangover. I think. I haven't been that beaten up lately and I swear I didn't drink either. Damn, I feel like I'm going to die. Oh, that's right. I probably am dead from those bastards at the park last night. Hm, is this what it's like to die? Or maybe even go to hell? With the crap I've done all my life, it's probably hell.

I feel my bangs move out of my face and I let a small moan escape my lips. It felt like fingers, moving my hair but, I really didn't want to see who was doing it. "… Kurama… Hanayo… help me…"

**XXxXX Shikamaru**

"… Help me… I feel like dying…" Azusa says softly frowning and bringing her hand up to her forehead. I watched as a tear streamed down her right cheek. "Hey… Azusa…" I start off, "You're fine, you aren't going to die."

**XXxXX Azusa**

His voice was so soft, soothing almost. "Who… who are you… is this a dream?" I ask trying to open my eyes. My eyelids, they were so heavy, it was so hard. Too much energy that I just don't have. "Can you hear me, Azusa?" the voice was back. Okay Azusa, time to sit up now… now… now… I groan as I pick my body up off the ground and bring my head up only to be stopped by a pair of lips being pressed up against mine.

**XXxXX Shikamaru**

Well, there goes my first kiss. She quickly pulls away and scoots back, rubbing her eyes. I sit back and touch my lips. So that's what it feels like to be kissed. Not a bad feeling. "Shika… snap out of it!" I hear Choji yell at me as I look up and meet a pair deep purple eyes looking at me. Azusa, the girl I saw in my dreams. The girl I thought was beautiful is now staring at me with a blush to her cheeks and wide eyes. What the hell was I feeling? My face started to heat up as looked deeper into my eyes.

"A-are you the one I kissed?" She asked shyly. I nodded and she blushed deeper, braking eye contact. Crap, she's too cute. I heard her gasp and I looked over to what she was looking at. Her two sisters lay there, not moving, and I couldn't tell if they were breathing or not. She started to cry, not just the occasional tears here and there, no, full on sobbing. I watched as she attempted to stand and take a step only to fall on her hands and knees.

"Hey, don't try to get up." Asuma says walking over and kneeling in front of her. She didn't even reply to him, she just sobbed harder.

**XXxXX Kiba**

There was a giant bang. Like a gunshot magnified one hundred times. Then it was followed by an enormous amount of blood. Akamaru whined. "I smell it too," I say. "Kurenai-sensei!" I yell. "There's the scent of an excessive amount of blood," I say pointing a clawed finger in the direction of the bang. We all take off running in the direction the sound came from.

We reach a clearing that was once leafy green but is now covered in deep crimson red. In the middle of the blood pool lie three girls. They look to be around our age. Suddenly the one on the far left starts to stir like she's waking up. Kurenai-sensei goes to kneel by her. The girl sits up fast and hits foreheads with Kurenai-sensei. I try not to laugh but it's really funny.

Suddenly the girl shifts her position and locks her eyes on me. She's gorgeous. She has really long white blonde hair piercing blue eyes. And a shocked expression. She's also wearing really weird clothes. She has something on her ankle but I can't really tell what it is. She looks down and bursts into tears. My first instinct is to run to her and comfort her but Kurenai-sensei is talking to her.

Then all of a sudden it hits me. I remember the dream I had had the night before. There was a girl who looked just like her in it. I look over at the other two girls. They were in the dream too. I pinch myself to make sure I'm awake. I don't understand how this is possible**.**

**XXxXX Hanayo**

My eyes fly open and the first thing I see is bright blue sky. I smell a mix of rust and iron. Blood. My eyes fly to my right and I see a pool of it. I sit up fast and my head hits something hard. "Ow." I whisper. I look up to find a pair of crimson eyes looking back at me. I stifle a scream. I might be hurt and I need all the help I can get if I am. I must look scared because the woman says "Oh I'm sorry did I startle you? I didn't mean to."

She's dressed in odd clothes. Kind of like something a character from one my favorite mangas would wear. Then I remember she asked a question. "Oh no it's-I'm just a little confused right now." I sit up all the way and look around. I seem to be in a small clearing. There are some kids who look my age that are staring at me. I look down at myself and see that I'm covered in sticky red blood. The source seems to be somewhere around my lungs. "Are you alright? You're covered in blood." The kind woman asks. "Um yea I can see that. I-what h-happened? Where am I?" I start crying.

"Hanayo!" I spin around. Azusa flings herself into my arms.

**XXxXX Sasuke**

There's a loud bang that rings over the training ground and the surrounding area. Kakashi turns, eyeing the edge of the trees. The dobe has stopped struggling, his eyes wide as he sniffs the air. "Kakashi-sensei!" he yells. "There's blood! And lots of it!" He does his best to point with his arms bound. Kakashi's only visible eye widens slightly. He runs past Naruto quickly cutting him loose before heading in the direction of the bang. The dobe is on his heels as soon as the rope hits the floor. This could be interesting if Kakashi looks worried.

I take off after them, ignoring Sakura's cry of "Sasuke-kun!" I catch up shortly, falling in step beside the dobe. "What exactly do you smell Naruto?" Kakashi asks. I glance over, seeing the dobe's nose twitch. "There's a ton of blood and…it's faint, but there's also traces of something else. I think it's a body."

I looked down at the ground, not believing what I was seeing. I want to think this is some kind of sick joke. Or a trick of the mind, but everyone seems to see them lying there. Could it be some kind of mass genjutsu? There she is, the girl called Kurama from my dream. Could Kakashi have created the dream I had? The other two stir, and eventually wake.

But my gaze is locked on Kurama. She looks exactly like she did in the dream. The same choppy white blond hair, the baggy pants with chains, the black and red top and arm bands, and the black leather jacket lined with fur. All her piercings are there too, and I can see some symbols on the inside of her arms. Yes this is defiantly her.

I walk over to her, ignoring the crying from her sisters and yelling of Sakura and Ino. I kneel down, brushing her hair away from her neck. There's a pulse, and it seems normal. But the area around it is covered in dried blood, but there seems to be no physical injury. It flows down to her chest, soaking into her shirt. Then I see it. There's a thin scar where her throat was supposed to be slit. But the moment my fingers brush it her pulse speeds up. What the hell is going on?

"Um? Excuse me?" I look up a little. Her sisters are staring at me, their eyes swirling with different emotions and dripping with tears. "That's not a good idea," the other blond says. A small groan comes from beneath me. The girl is stirring, her arms twitching. Her eyes are fluttering open, and sure enough they are a vibrant shade of violet. They lock with mine and for a moment and I'm lost.

**XXxXX Kurama**

I don't know what I'm feeling right now. It's as if I'm floating, and weightless. Is this what it feels like to be dead? It's not really what I expected, but then again, I don't know what I was expecting. I hadn't planned on dying so soon, but what's done is done. I'm just ashamed to have caused Hanayo and Azusa's deaths as well. I was so stupid. I should have handed it over, then we might have made it out alive. We would have been broke, but the only unnatural openings in our bodies would have been our piercings. I'm such a fool. I deserve to be reborn as some lowly life form, like a slug or water flea.

Then I feel something warm brush across my cheek, moving my hair along with it. It feels like fingers, and at the thought of that my pulse speeds up. Wait. I have a pulse? But I'm supposed to be dead! Then the fingers trace the skin of my neck, putting my heart into overdrive. That's where my throat should be cut. I need to open my eyes. But they feel so heavy, like they're weighed down. But my eyelids slowly open. And I'm completely unprepared for what I see.

There is a face, inches from mine. And it belongs to a boy. And unfamiliar boy with deep onyx eyes. Dark hair frames a pale face, and incredibly beautiful face. But he can't be any older than I am. Right now his eyes are locked on mine, and everything begins to come into focus around him. Blue sky, tons of trees, and blades of grass swaying around my face. My breath catches in my throat for a minute as I evaluate the situation. I'm alive. I have no idea where I am. It's defiantly not the park where I supposedly died. And there is a strange boy who's face is dangerously close to mine. So I do the only logical thing.

I let out my highest pitched girl scream and punch him in the face.

**XXxXX Sasuke**

I never expected her to have such reflexes. But the next thing I know, her fist is in my face, her scream ringing in my ears. I clutch my cheek as she scrambles back, her eyes wide with terror. "We told you," two voices echo. Kurama whirls around, and freezes when she sees them. "You guys are alive!" she squeals, tackling them. They land in a heap as tears rush down Kurama's cheeks. "I'm so, so, sorry," she gasps as she clings to the two smaller girls. "I'm the worst sister ever. If I had just given them the money then you two wouldn't have been hurt."

"But we're alive so don't worry about it," the raven haired girl says. "Yeah, it's not your fault," the other blond says. "They were gonna kill us anyway. I've seen Law and Order enough times to know that." "Law and what?" They turn to face team eight's Jonin. "Law and Order," she repeats. "It's my favorite show of all time! My favorite episode was the one with the drug dog. He was so cute I just wanted to jump through the TV and hug him!" Kurenai, Asuma, and Kakashi share a blank stare. There were mutters of "Drugs?" "Dogs?" "TV" from the other members of the teams, who were staring at them like they belonged in a padded white room. "Exactly where are you girls from?" Asuma asks. Kurama looks up. "Detroit."

"And that is where?" Kakashi asks. "The U.S.," the raven haired girl says. "Where else?" "The us?" Ino asks, sharing a weird look with Sakura. "No," the smaller blonde girl says. "The United States of America." Sakura rolls her eyes while turning to Kakashi. "I think we should take them to the hospital. They clearly need help." Kurama's eyes flash as she turns to her. "OH! Why would we need to go to the hospital?! We only died and woke up in some random clearing!" Her sisters move in to comfort her, and surprisingly, I find I have to hold myself back. "Wait." All eyes go to the smaller blonde as she looks over the area. "Is this like Angel Beats? Is hospital code for the Not Dead Yet Battlefront?" her sisters seem to perk up at the question. "Yeah…" Kakashi sighs. "We're defiantly taking these ones to the hospital."

**XXxXX Kurama**

After the doctors look us over, they allow the people who found us into our hospital room. I can't help a spark of excitement as I see two of the boys immediately look to my sisters with the tiniest hint of panic in their eyes. I turn back to the door and almost have a heart attack when I see that same boy I woke up to staring at me. The second he realizes I caught him he shifts his gaze to the floor. "Oh, Hokage-sama." I look up to see the woman step aside and let in an elderly looking man in long white and red robes. "Good afternoon Kurenai," he says to her. She bows slightly as he takes a seat in a chair in front of our beds.

"Good afternoon girls," he says with a small bow. Not knowing what to do I bow back, watching my sisters do the same. "Do you three have names?" he asks. "Kurama," I manage to choke out. He nods, looking to my sisters. "Hanayo," she whispers. "Azusa." To my surprise, it sounds like Azusa is back to her usual monotone speech. "How did you get inside the village?" he asks. I shrug my shoulders. "I dunno," I whisper. "I thought we were dead." His eyebrows rise slightly. "What made you think that?" I take a deep breath, ready for them to label me a special needs patient by the time I finished.

"We ran away from home last night," I say softly. "We were looking for a place to stay the night so we could hop a train to another state in the morning. But some guys heard me say we had money, and they started chasing us." As I take in another ragged breath, I can't help but notice three of the boys are standing stiffly, clenching their fists tightly. "One of them shot Azusa in the shoulder, so we tried to get her to the hospital. But one of them caught Hanayo…and stabbed her. And I could swear she had died. She wasn't breathing! And then one of them shot Azusa through the throat. I watched them both die before one of them slit my throat." I look back up, pleading silently that the old man wouldn't think I was insane.

"Next thing I knew I had woken up here, and my sisters were alive again." There was an awkward silence that filled the room one I finished. I wring my hands, pulling my knees to my chest. "There's no way that can be true!" My head snaps up as a pink haired girl sneers at me. "For one we agree on something," a blonde girl adds. My chest tightens as I share a panicked glance with Azusa and Hanayo. "They could be spies for all we know. There's no way they can prove it. The blood they were covered in probably isn't even theirs," the pink haired girl says as she gives us a once over. "Actually, that's the curious part." We jump as a woman in a white walks in. "There's no physical injury, but look." She gestures for me to stand, and when I do she brings me over to the adults.

"Look up," she commands. I do and theirs a small gasp from Kurenai. "What?!" I yelp, looking back down. The nurse turns to the kids by the wall, but looking specifically at the two rude girls. "There's a fresh scar going horizontally across her neck. And it's right at the point you are taught to aim for when you want to make a quick job of killing your target." She gestures for me to look up again and I do, hearing a collective gasp from the three girls. "Then that means…" I trail off, walking over to Azusa. She shrugs off her jacket and pulls her shirt sleeve down. Sure enough there's a circular shaped scar in the middle of it. "Neck," Hanayo commands. Azusa looks up as Hanayo looks down to see a similar scar coming up above her shirt's neckline. "Is this seriously happening?" She asks in disbelief. I whack Azusa upside the head, almost giddy when she cusses loudly.

"It's real!" she says, smacking my shoulder. I barley flinch as the stinging sensation fades. "You know what this means don't you?!" I say, my excitement rising. They share a wide eyed look before jumping up. "NO MORE SAM AND ANNA!" we yell. There's a clearing of a throat as we turn back to the adults and other kids. "Well it seems you three aren't really of this world," the old man says. "And it seems that however you got here was a one way ticket." We let this sink in. we have no home no money, no clothes that aren't covered in blood. "Would you like to stay here in Konohagakure?"

**XXxXX Hanayo**

"Would you like to stay here in Konohagakure?" I let the question sit for a minute then turn to my sisters. They look back at me with fear and hope in their eyes. After another awkward silence I find my voice and say, "Well… where would we live? We don't have any money to buy a house." I look to Kurama. She clears her throat and says, "Are you offering to give us a place to live?" The woman that woke me up looks at her and says, "If you can't afford a house, one will be provided." "And we can loan you some money in the meantime," the old man says.

"Thank you!" Kurama says with a quick bow. "And we'll pay everything off as soon as we can get jobs." "You know," the man says as he puffs on a cigarette. "You can pay off everything faster if you go on missions. Are you three interested in becoming shinobi?" Kurama's face lights up. "Yeah!" she yells. "Why not?" Azusa replies. I look around the room and tears fill my eyes. Not because I was sad or scared for once. I was crying because I was happy. "Hanayo? What's wrong?" Azusa asks me. "Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all. It's just… we have a home. I feel like I belong here. I feel like people want me here. I'm just happy. Guys, I want to stay."

**XXxXX Kiba **

My heart skips a beat when I hear Hanayo say she wants to stay. I don't know why there's just something about her that makes me dizzy, but it's a good feeling. "So is that a yes?" Kurenai-sensei asks. She nods as everyone starts talking at once and I look at her, studying her facial features. Suddenly, she glances at me. Goodness her eyes are beautiful. A crystal blue. She smiles at me and looks back at her sisters before walking over to me. Shit. I don't think I'm ready for this.

**XXxXX Hanayo **

Chaos. Sudden chaos erupts after I make my announcement that I want to stay. I look around the room. I see the cute boy that I recognize from earlier looking at me. "Well you girls are a bit old to be at the academy," the man with a mask covering ¾ of his face comments. "Why don't we each take one of them on our team," the lady with the red eyes suggests. "They can for their own team once they have the knowledge of the average graduate." The old man nods. "Arisa should be able to handle her own team by then."

"Well, who'll take who?" I can't help but notice my sister's eyes dart to two of the boys before blushing slightly and turning away. "Why don't we put Hanayo on your team Kurenai?" the old man asks. "Of course Hokage-sama," the woman says with a bow. "It would be my honor." "And how about putting Azusa on your team Asuma?" the Hokage asks rather dryly. The man just nods, avoiding eye contact. "And that leaves Kurama to you Kakashi." The masked man nods, not looking up from a small orange book with a red circle with a line through it on the back cover. Is that a…? Oh god, Kurama has a pervert for a sensei.

I walk towards him and say, "Hi. I'm Hanayo." He looks startled by my words. I hope I'm not bothering him. He really is quite cute. "Kiba," he says finally. "Pleasure to meet you Kiba." I want to hold out my hand to shake his but I stop myself. Do they do that here when they first meet someone? I wasn't sure. He looks down at the ground then back up at me before saying, " The pleasure is mine." I want to say something but I hear Kurama call my name. "I'll see you around, Kiba!" I call over my shoulder as I head back to my sisters.

**XXxXX Azusa**

I look at Hanayo as she skips over to us. She looks so happy. I look behind her and they boy she must have been talking to is blushing and smiling at his feet. That explains it. I'm happy that she's happy. I haven't seen her happy in months. I look over to Kurama who is having a deep conversation with the old man. I swear she acts like such an adult sometimes. There's a boy on the other side of the room staring at her like Hanayo stares at the football team.

I look around the room. My gaze lands at the boy who took away my first kiss. He looks bored and apathetic. He catches my eye and looks away quickly blushing. "Hey, Azusa you okay? You're pink," Hanayo cocks her head to the side. "Huh? Oh yea I'm fine it's just warm in here that's all." She looks at me as if she wants to say something else but I look away before she can.

Next to me, Kurama is making plans for us to stay somewhere. I listen on and off for a while. The whole thing is kind of boring to me. A woman in a white coat comes back into the room, and gestures for Hanayo to sit down on the examination table. "I still need to check you. Where did you say you got stabbed?" Hanayo points to her lower abdomen. "Lift your shirt for me please." Hanayo blushes and lifts her shirt up.

Sure enough there's a thick white scar going across her rib cage. I didn't realize the blade was that big. I look again to the boy she was talking to. He's got a big smile on his face and he's blushing. Hanayo is really skinny. That idiot. I could kill him for gawking at her like that. The nurse writes something down in her notebook and nods to the old man.

"If everything is okay we shall be going," he says. Great. So I guess its official now. We're staying.


	3. Chapter 3

**Just a quick disclaimer before we start. As you can see I changed my penname. Unfortunately, I am no longer on speaking terms with Hana and Meimei. It has been almost two months since they last took the time to speak to me, so I just want to make it clear that they abandoned their OCs in all our stories. So I cannot be blamed for still using them. If you two happen to be reading this and you want them taken out, then FRIGGEN TALK TO ME. If you decide to be immature and wait till I'm like 20 chapters in to say something then I will not rewrite this whole story.**

**Anyways, I'd like to say a quick thanks to my beta Nenshou Mirai. So sorry for making you wait so long!**

**Now...on with the story!**

**XXxXX Hanayo**

My eyes float open lazily as the warm sunlight hits my face. I'm half expecting to wake up in our shabby backyard, covered by one of the ratty blankets we keep in the shed. But instead, I'm mildly surprised to see pale pink sakura petals floating lazily in the breeze. I smile as they float down on me, landing on my hair and body. The sky is clear and the most beautiful shade of blue I've ever seen. To be honest, I haven't seen a sky like this since we lived in the countryside with grandma. I haven't realized till now how much I've missed it.

"So...are you planning on just lying there while we do all the hard work?"

I roll on my side, seeing Kurama and Azusa standing in the entryway of Azusa's new bedroom.

"Good morning to you too," I mutter, getting up groggily.

"Well I consider any morning where I wake up to find out I'm a miraculous survivor of homicide a good morning," Azusa says with a slight grin. I mirror it, only she could have the guts to joke about that.

"So that really happened," I mutter. Her grin drops almost as fast as it appeared.

"Yeah," Kurama mutters. "It did." She tucks a lock of her hair behind her ear, and I realize she cut it. A lot.

"Want some food?" Azusa asks, gesturing to a bowl of assorted fruits and a plate of toast on our new table. "Sure," I say, stretching out my arms. I stagger over to the table, still exhausted from yesterday.

"Hurry up alright?" Kurama says as she picks up a small bucket of white paint. "We've got to get all the painting done before the new furniture comes." I yawn before stuffing a piece of toast in my mouth.

"Ok," I mutter. I go to pick up the white paint for the boarders of my glass doors. Our new house is really cool. Its C shaped, and each of us have a room that has one wall made almost completely of a set of glass doors that lead into the backyard. We didn't expect them to give us a place this nice.

I pick up a brush, swallowing the rest of my breakfast.

"Here, let me do that," Azusa says, taking the paint bucket from me. "You go change." I nod in thanks before picking up a random bunch of clothes on the table.

"When you're done go ahead and lay out the newspaper ok?" Kurama yells as I head into the nearest bathroom.

"Alright!" I yell as the door closes behind me.

**XXxXX Kurama**

Just as I put down the roller, there's a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" I yell.

"Kay!"

"Alright!" They yell from the other rooms. I make my way over to the door, pulling my hair into a ponytail. I yank the door open, surprised when I see teams seven, eight, and ten standing on the porch.

"Yes?" I ask, suddenly nervous and painfully aware that I'm still in my pajamas. "What's going on?"

"Hey Kurama!" the one I recognize as Naruto yells. "We've been assigned to help you guys move in!" I smile, looking them over.

"Uh, alright, come on in," I say, stepping aside. They file in a more or less single file line. Well, if you count single file as those two rude girls, Sakura and Ino fighting to walk alongside Sasuke.

"So, we've gotten through the setup already so I guess we can just split into groups of two and try and get all the painting done," I explain. "Just let me get my sisters." I walk to the hall, throwing my head through the entryway.

"HANAYO! AZUSA! Come here for a sec!" There's a muffled cursing sound as footsteps race down the hall.

"You made me mess up!" Azusa says, pointing an accusing finger at me as she stalks into the room.

"It's just paint, it can be fixed," I say as she wipes her hands on a towel.

Azusa pouts, crossing her arms. "So what's everyone doing here?" she asks.

"They're here to help," I explain. "Where's Hanayo?" Azusa nods her head towards the back.

"She's bringing in all the paint from the back," she says. "She already set most of them in the rooms." She points to the corner of the room where some cans of paint are set up nest to some brushes. "So who wants to help who?" Azusa asks.

I'd bet Sakura and Ino were just about to yell out that they wanted to be with Sasuke when, to my surprise, he walks over, stopping next to me.

I feel the color drain from my face up and I feel like smacking myself. _Why_ the hell did I answer the door in my pajamas?

"Wanna go help Hanayo out?" I hear Azusa ask Kiba. He nods as Azusa points him down the hall, and he takes off, Akamaru perched on his shoulders. I can't help but smile, he seems to really like her.

Then my moment is broken by, "I can paint a hundred times better than you Billboard-Brow!"

"I highly doubt that Ino-pig!" Sakura yells back.

"Uh, why don't you two take the bathroom?" Azusa says, pointing down the hall. They nod and sprint of, trailing dust in their wake. And I just finished sweeping…

"Um, Choji? Can you and Shino do the kitchen?" I ask. They nod, as Azusa leads them to the next room. "Naruto, can you and Hinata handle this room?" Hinata blushes and nods, while Naruto jumps up, running for the cans of paint.

"So I guess you're coming with me." Shikamaru looks up as Azusa reenters the room. He just nods, mumbling under his breath as he follows her down the hall.

**XXxXX Azusa**

Words cannot describe the thick layer of awkward that hangs in the air around us. It's just my luck to get stuck with the guy that stole my first kiss. I want that back by the way, just saying. That's something special I just wasted on this guy who I barely know, who has...pineapple hair. I scowl at my feet. This is gonna be one long after noon. I'm just grateful that I listened to Kurama and Hanayo last night and painted most of the walls already.

We walk down the hall to my room in silence, and I almost wish I was stuck with one of those idiot girls that I can hear yelling from down the hall. I can already tell I'm not gonna like Ino. She complains a lot. And she seems a little too obsessed with that one guy Kurama punched.

"So are you gonna tell me what to do or are we just gonna stand here all day?"

I jump and turn around. We're standing in the middle of my room, and I was staring at the floor for who knows how long. I refuse to let myself blush. Instead, I pick up a can of pale green paint and hand it to him.

"I need the rest of that wall painted," I say tonelessly. He just sighs and takes it from me before trudging over to the opposite wall. I grumble to myself as I grab my pallet and brushes before climbing to the top of the ladder. This bites.

We sit in silence as we paint. You could cut the tense atmosphere with a knife. I can hear the occasional grumble from him, and when I do it sets me teeth on edge. And on top off all this I have to have to be on the same team as this guy?

**XXxXX Shikamaru**

I can't understand why she seems so mad at me. The troublesome woman's barely spoken a sentence to me in the whole time we've been sitting here. I'm almost ready to retract my earlier thoughts about her being beautiful now that all she does is scowl. It's not like I meant to kiss her. How is all this my fault?

"Troublesome," I mutter to myself. "That's what this is."

I can feel her stiffen from over here. This is just becoming irritating. I take a look at the wall before setting down my brush. It's done, so I close the lid on the can and set it by the wall.

"Is there anything else to do or is this it?" I ask, trying to keep the irritation from seeping into my voice. It doesn't work completely, but it's well enough. She looks down from her place on the ladder and shakes her head. "Alright," I mutter, walking out of the room. I'll just go see how Choji's handling that Shino guy.

**XXxXX Hanayo**

I hum softly to myself as I finish laying a sheet over my furniture. I sigh softly. This would be so much easier if I had my iPod. Suddenly there's a knock on my door. I shuffle over and almost drop my paintbrush when I see who it is. It's the really cute boy from the other day. I curse myself for not wearing something cuter. I'm dressed in baggy grey pants and a black tank top. My hair is pulled into a sloppy bun on top of my head.

"Oh! Hi! I wasn't expecting company. You're Kiba right?" I ask.

"Uh yea. And you're Hanayo." It isn't a question. Suddenly I feel bad for having to ask him if I was right about his.

"That's right. Um, what's going on?" I ask, feeling my stomach start fluttering.

"Old man Hokage assigned all three of our teams to help you guys move in today." He says it calmly, as if the thought bores him, and it looks like he's trying to avoid looking at me. I can't help the feeling of deflating I get as I make that observation.

"Oh, well come in then," I mutter as I open the door a little wider and he steps in. There's a huge lump in his sweater that suddenly moves. I jump back in surprise as a little head pokes its head out and lets out a small bark.

"Aw who's this?" I reach out and pat the dog's head. I'm surprised when he lets me. Most dogs hate me. I guess it's cuz I always smell like the stray cats I'm always petting.

"His name is Akamaru. He seems to like you." I giggle as Akamaru licks my hand.

"He's so cute," I murmur as I play with his ears.

He looks down at Akamaru and I sense some hesitation so I say, "Oh its fine if he runs around the room. We can open those doors over there so he can come in and outside as he pleases. I love playing with dogs." He smiles when I say that and I can tell we have that in common. He unzips his jacket and lets Akamaru down.

He runs circles around Kiba's legs and Kiba says, "It's ok Akamaru. You can explore." Akamaru barks and darts around the room.

"Ok let's get started," I say.

We are halfway done with the room when I step back to look at our progress. I turn to Kiba and say, "I'll be right back. I'm going to get some blue paint. I want to paint roses near the top." As I turn to leave I trip over the sheet and fall forward. I don't even see Kiba move but his arms are around me in seconds, my face inches from the floor.

He stands me upright and says, "Are you ok, Hanayo?" I don't know why but the way he says my name makes my heart speed up. I look down and see that his arms are still wrapped around my waist. My face flushes as he lets go.

"Ye-yes I'm fine thank you." I stutter. Yeah...real smooth, Hanayo. "Um I'm just going to get the paint I'll be back in a sec."

**XXxXX Kiba**

I know I'm blushing as I watch Hanayo spin on her heel and walk out of the room. I don't know why but she makes my heart race. I need to sit down. I crouch on the floor and look at the ground. Outside in Hanayo's backyard Akamaru is running around and barking. He looks really happy. The way he looks is the way I felt when my arms wrapped around Hanayo's waist.

Then I think back to the strange dream I had. I vow to myself that I will never let anything like that happen to her.

"I'm back!" I turn and see Hanayo skipping back into the room. My heart catches in my throat when I see her. Her hair is down now and it flows down to her legs. With her hair flowing and her cheeks flushed she looks so pretty. I blush and look at my feet. When I look up again she's looking at me. "Are you ok, Kiba?" The way she says my name makes my heart falter.

"Oh yea I'm fine. I was just making sure there was nothing on the ground that would make you fall again." I say.

She laughs and says, "Wait until you get to know me better. I trip over air." She smiles at me and my heart flutters again.

"Anyways, let's get started," she says.

**XXxXX Hanayo **

I can hardly finish painting the last rose because Kiba is making me laugh too hard. I don't know what it is but I feel like I can be myself around him. I haven't ever felt this way around a boy before. I used to think all boys were like Sam. A nice picture to look at that hides how sick and twisted they are inside.

"Ok done," I sigh. I'm about to step off the ladder when I trip again. Kiba is there with open arms and catches me.

"You know, I'm not always going to be there to catch you," he laughs. This annoys me a little.

"Hey, Kiba you have a little something on your face." "Really where?" He says. "Right there." I say and put a glob of paint on his cheek. He sets me back down, brushing the back of his hand over the paint.

"Oh it's on now."

We spend the next few minutes flinging blue paint at each other and laughing. I finally flop down on the floor, my sides heaving.

"Ok," I pant heavily. "I call a truce."

He laughs and says "A good ninja never gives in to the enemy." I look up at him and say, "But you're not my enemy. Not at all. And I'm not technically a ninja yet." He sighs and leans against a dry portion of the wall.

"We'll fix that soon enough, you start training tomorrow after all." We say nothing for a while and then Kiba breaks the silence.

"Do you want to re-paint the walls?" I sit up and look around. There are blue paint splotches covering the cream white wash on the walls.

"No, I like them," I say. I turn and see Akamaru panting at the wall made of windows. He runs over to us and tackles Kiba. He laughs before Akamaru bounces away from him and jumps on me. I giggle as he licks my hands.

"Uh, excuse me...K-Kiba-kun? H-Hanayo-san?" We both look up to see that shy girl from the other day. She'll be the other girl on my team.

"What's up Hinata?" Kiba asks. She blushes and twiddles her thumbs, looking extremely nervous.

"C-can you help us b-bring in the furniture from the back?" she asks. "T-that is of course if you're not t-too busy!" she adds quickly. I place Akamaru on the ground next to me and pull myself to my feet.

"Sure," I say with a smile. "I don't have much upper arm strength but I'll do my best." She smiles and I hear Kiba stand up behind me.

"Well then Hinata, I guess we know how to start off Hanayo's training tomorrow," he says with a toothy grin on his face. He walks over and picks up Akamaru before heading to the door. "We start with 100 push-ups followed by weight lifting."

I gawk at him. "What?!" I yell in disbelief. "100 push-ups! I can barely do three!"

He just laughs and follows Hinata into the hall. "You'll get used to it...eventually," he says. "But for now let's just focus on the furniture."

**XXxXX Sasuke **

"Well," Kurama says, turning on her heel. "Let's go."

I follow her into her room, which is painted a soft pastel blue. "Can you paint the boarders for me?" she asks. I nod, taking the paint can form her. She smiles as she picks up a thin brush and a pallet, and steps up onto a small ladder. I get to work, painting the boards of the room a light teal color. I'm done within a half hour so I lounge against the glass door that leads to the backyard, waiting a little before adding another coat. I take a deep breath, trying to clear the scent of paint from my nose.

As for Kurama, she's slipped into some sort of Zen mode. Her eyes soften as she flicks the paintbrush back and forth, creating each and every vein in the blue leaves. She traces over some of the lines with a silver glitter, blending the lines with her thumb. It's been the quietest half hour I've ever spent in another person's company. It's not that awkward silence either, it's more of a calming one. Now that I look at her, I can feel my face heat up. She's wearing a pair of violet shorts and a matching embroideredtank. No wonder her face turned red when she opened the door.

But, now that she's not covered in blood or mud, she's actually kinda….cute. Her white-blond hair is pulled into a ponytail that reaches a little past her waist, and she's cut off the parts that were dyed black. Most of her tattoos are visible now. I don't think I've ever seen anyone outside of the Anbu with tattoos. Her deep violet eyes that show maturity beyond her years. Maturity obtained through suffering. But after hearing her story and seeing her so at ease only a day later, it's hard to believe she's suffered at all.

"What do you think?"

I blink. She's stepping down from the ladder, rubbing her hands on a paint stained cloth.

"Nice," I mutter. All around the walls, she's painted the dangling tips of some plant with falling leaves. It circles the perimeter of the ceiling in a soft navy blue that stands out against the pastel blue wash. "You did that by hand?"

"Yah," she says with a self-satisfied smile.

"You're good." She blushes softly, looking up at me.

"Thanks," she says, smiling softly. "That's good to hear."

She walks out the open glass door, flipping through a thick book on a table with a mosaic top that looks like it's made from broken china plates. She rips out a page, before making her way back to me. "Here," she says, handing the paper to me. I take it, flipping it over. It's a charcoal drawing of me. It only goes to my shoulders. I look a bit surprised, and I wonder if she took this pose from when she woke up to me leaning over her. I look back up, trying not to blush myself. She's still is, but she's looking at her feet.

"It's an apology for punching you," she mutters. "I never really said sorry." I can't help the small grin that spreads across my face.

"Not bad for a kid." She smiles. "But I don't think I've got it quite right yet," she says. "It took me a few dozen tries just to get it like this."

"Why try so hard?" I ask.

"Well, it would have no meaning if I just gave you a three second sketch," she says. "I wanted you to know I was sincere. It really was an accident, I would have reacted the same way no matter who I woke me up." Huh. Interesting.

"And what do you mean kid? I may be short but I'm thirteen. Emphasis on the _teen_."

I look back up. She sends me a playful glare, but something stirs inside me when I see how cute it makes her look. And there I thought all girls her age would be annoying beyond belief.

"Hey Kurama, you got a sec?" Her sister, the one with the short black and purple hair, steps into the doorway. "We could use some help bringing in the furniture."

"Ok, just give me a minute," Kurama says. The other girl leaves and Kurama walks back over to the table outside. She takes a large black hoodie and pull it on before pulling out her ponytail. I feel stupid even admitting this inside my head, but the sight is mesmerizing. She shakes her head, sending locks of her hair flying around her body. They glint like strands of silver in the sunlight.

I look down hastily as she turns back to my direction. I watch from the corner of my eye as she pulls her hair back up into a messy bun as she crosses the room.

"You ready?" she asks. I nod and follow her down the hall. This girl is something else. She may be the first one I've met that's treated me like a person instead of a piece of meat. Even though I really could have asked for a better meeting.

I want to know so badly what it is about her that weakens me. Watching her die made me feel something I'd only felt once in my life. Helpless. Now I have a strong urge to protect her that I don't understand. And another, stranger urge to show off for her tomorrow. I allow myself a quick smile before we step into the living room.

I'm thirteen. I shouldn't be thinking of this yet. Right now I'll just focus on keeping her from dying again.

**XXx Author's Notes xXX**

**Ta da! This took way too long to update. Sorry, I'm slow at re-inventing plots, and I was hoping if I gave it enough time there would be no reason to... But never mind about that. Like it? How am I doing on my own? Let me know!**

**Mitsu-chan**


	4. Chapter 4

**~Azusa**

"Come on! WAKE UP!"

I roll over and bury my face into my pillow as I feel Hanayo climb onto my bed.

"AZUSA WAKE UP!" she yells, jumping on the bundle of blankets and sheets.

"NO!" I grumble, feeling around the tangle of sheets for another pillow.

Once I find one, I throw it blindly.

I smirk in satisfaction as I hear it make contact with her body.

There's a loud thump and a curse from Hanayo as she hits the floor. I roll back onto my stomach and cuddle into my pillow, savoring its warmth.

I don't even hear Hanayo as she gets to her feet. I'm just about to drift off again as she brings the pillow down on my head.

I fist my hand in the material and sit bolt upright.

"What the hell Hanayo!" I yell. "Why can't you just let me sleep?!"

"We have our first day of training today!" she yells back. "I really don't want to find out how they'll punish us if we show up late!"

"What's with all the yelling?"

We turn towards the doorway to see Kurama rubbing her eyes tiredly.

She's only half dressed, still in her pajama bottoms but wearing a black turtle neck with the sleeves cut off. Her hair is still yet to be combed and falls down to her hips in a snarl of tangles.

Hanayo takes the opportunity to dive behind our big sister, her small frame completely shielded by Kurama's slightly taller one.

"The neighbors will start complaining if you guys don't shut up," she scolds. "And like Hanayo said, I don't want to find out how they deal with those kinds of things here."

I moan and flop back down onto my bed, tangling my fingers in my short hair.

"Do we really have to go?" I whine.

"I thought you were excited about becoming a ninja," Kurama asks.

"She was," Hanayo giggles. "But then she met Ino."

I groan at the thought of the narcissistic blonde in question.

"Well I'm stuck with Sakura, and you don't see me complaining," Kurama replies as she leans on the door frame.

"At least aloud you're not," I mumble. "But inside your head is another story."

A smirk crosses her face as she looks over to Hanayo.

"You lucked out," she says as she ruffles Hanayo's hair. "At least Hinata's nice."

"Well no use complaining about it," Hanayo giggles as she pulls away from her. "I'm getting food. Azusa if you're not up and dressed in ten minutes you're not getting any."

I groan reluctantly roll out of my warm bed and step onto the cold wood floor.

She's just lucky my love of food exceeds my love of sleep. But just barely.

**~Hanayo**

To my satisfaction Azusa comes stumbling into the kitchen six minutes later.

"You're wearing that to training?" I ask.

She looks down and suddenly seems to realize what she's wearing.

"I wasn't really paying attention to what I was putting on," she confesses. "I just wanted my food."

I giggle as Kurama walks in.

She takes in Azusa's black spaghetti strap top that cut off in the middle of her ribcage and smiles.

"Trying to make an impression?" she teases.

Azusa cross her arms over her chest, the slightest tint of red appearing in her cheeks.

"That's it I'm changing," she spits as she turns to the hallway.

I lock gazes with Kurama and a smile spreads across her face.

She moves quickly, blocking the doorway as I pick up the three apples sitting on the table.

Azusa raises her eyebrow as Kurama shoves her through the kitchen.

"What are you doing?" she asks as Kurama shoves her towards the front door. "I need to go change!"

"If you had been up half an hour earlier like Hanayo and I were you could have changed," she replies as we pull her out the front door.

Azusa looks horrified as we continue down the street. I hand one of the apples to Kurama as Azusa digs her heels into the dirt.

"It's no use Azusa," I mutter as I try to hand her the last apple.

She eventually gives up and slumps over.

Kurama struggles to keep them on their feet as Azusa forces her to support. Once she has the both of them balanced she takes a bite of her apple.

"It's no use sulking," she says as she pokes Azusa. "If you don't eat now I doubt you'll get anything to eat till the lunch break. Just think about it...emotional exhaustion, all day training, annoying blondes..."

Azusa's head snaps up. She glares at Kurama before snatching her apple from me.

"Kurama? Hanayo? Azusa?"

We turn to see the blond boy who's on Kurama's team.

"Hey Naruto," Kurama says cheerily.

"You ready for your first day of training?" he asks.

She nods, turning back to the both of us.

"I guess this is where I leave you two. Be good ok?"

"What are we, five?" Azusa says flatly.

"Sometimes I wonder," Kurama replies as she ruffles her hair.

"Have fun Kurama," I say as I hug her tightly.

"You too," she says before she walks over to Naruto.

**~Kurama**

I fall into step beside Naruto, glancing over my shoulder to see Azusa and Hanayo heading to different training grounds.

"You're going to love it here Kurama!" Naruto yells as he grabs my wrist.

I struggle to keep up as he guides me through the city.

"It's beautiful..." I whisper as I catch glimpses of street vendors and small shops that line the roads before he leads me off the main road and into a thick shady forest.

"It is," he replies.

I look up, seeing his bright blue eyes cloud with a mix of emotion. Pride...pain...and longing?

"And someday it'll be mine to protect."

I break my gaze and feel the corners of my mouth turn up as a determined smile returns to his face.

"That'll be a big responsibility," I whisper. "I could barely protect my sisters, yet you want to extend protection over an entire village."

"Well, that's the job of the Hokage," he replies as we step out of the line of thick trees. "And once I gain that title, the village will acknowledge me as their protector. That's all I want."

"Then I can tell this village will be in good hands someday," I say.

"Oh please," a new voice sneers. "You're really gonna encourage him?"

I look up to see the ever irritating Sakura glaring over at me. I guess she's still sore about losing out on working with Sasuke yesterday.

"What's wrong with having a dream?" I ask her. "Don't you have one?"

She stiffens before quickly looking over her shoulder at Sasuke, who's standing in the shade of a nearby tree.

"What does it matter to you whether I have one or not?" she asks.

"It doesn't," I reply as I walk past her. "But wouldn't it be nice if you knew that someone supported it?"

She just turns up her nose and walks back toward Sasuke, who seems intent on ignoring her.

"Yo!"

I jump a foot in the air before I turn around to see Kakashi standing behind me. He looks down at me, seemingly amused that he's scared me.

"You're early Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yells in amazement.

"I was in a meeting with the third, about your training Kurama," he replies as if Naruto hadn't spoken at all. "Once I find out what you're capable of, we'll figure out how to balance your training with the others."

I nod, feeling butterflies surge through my stomach.

"Well, I'm probably not much compared to the rest of them, but I'm sort of strong. I had nine minute mile back when I was in school, and I have pretty good accuracy. But other than that I don't know what you consider average here."

Kakashi just nods and turns to the rest of the team.

"Alright, Naruto and Sakura, we'll have you two spar today. Sasuke, why don't you start Kurama off on basic shuriken and kunai techniques? I'll check on you two later."

Sakura begins to protest but is quickly silenced by Naruto's excessive cheering.

Wow...he still likes her after all the rude things she said to him?

"Come on."

I turn to see Sasuke walking towards the three stumps in the middle of the field.

I follow him in silence, praying to whatever god that exists in this world that I won't make a fool of myself in front of these people.

**~ Shikamaru**

Surprisingly, she showed up with Ino.

If looks could kill, I don't know which of them would have died first.

I have no idea what happened on the way here but it looked like it was in my best interests to keep a good amount of distance from both of them.

"Alright, now that we're all here, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself Azusa?" Asuma asks as he lights his cigarette.

"There's not much to tell," she mutters. "What do you want to know?"

"What are your hobbies? Likes, dislikes? Do you have a dream for the future?" Asuma elaborates.

"I like music," She says apathetically. "My hobby is playing the piano and composing songs. I like food and sleep. I hate anyone who tries to wake me up, or steal my food, with the exception of my sisters. And I'll need to see if I survive long enough in this world to have a dream for the future."

I sigh and roll my eyes as Ino scoffs, though she only seems angry at the fact that someone who sounds so lazy and gluttonous is skinnier than she is.

"Alright," Asuma says as he claps Azusa on the shoulder.

I watch in slight amusement as she struggles to remain standing.

"If I have anything to say about it you will be alive long enough to have a dream."

She just closes her eyes, as if to hide the fact that she's rolling them.

"Why don't we start with something simple?" Asuma asks.

"Simple by who's standards?" Azusa asks.

Asuma chuckles deep in his throat.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough."

He turns over to Ino, who's moved on to filing her nails with a kunai.

"Ino," Asuma calls.

She looks up, somewhat interested in this hinted test.

"What do you want me to do Asuma-sensei?" she asks innocently.

"Let's see how good she is at dodging," Asuma says. "We'll do a two in one speed test. Try three minutes as a beginner's level, nothing too harsh though."

Ino's face lights up as she quickly reaches into her weapons pouch.

Azusa on the other hand only gets a five second warning before she's trapped in a rain of shuriken and kunais.

She's momentarily rooted to the ground before she finally has enough sense to dodge.

My fists clench in my pockets as I watch her jump, duck and roll to avoid them. Though she may have composed her face, her eyes are bright with fright.

Choji munches a bag of chips next to me, watching as if this is completely ordinary. Or even worse, entertaining.

"Ino sure is fired up today," he states before shoving the crumpled chip bag into his kunai pouch. "Makes you wonder what happened between them on the way here."

"Why would I care about something like that?" I ask.

"Because your hands are shaking."

My breath catches in my throat as I look down at them. It's slight, but it's there.

"Is it because you kissed her?" he asks.

I shake my head and force myself to lie down on my back.

"I just want to know why they let her start training this soon."

"Beats me," Choji replies as he rips open another bag of chips.

"Alright time!"

I try not to bolt up to assess the damage before Asuma's finished talking.

"Not bad for a first timer," he continues. "Next time we'll lower the number of cuts down to eighteen."

Now I sit up.

Azusa is collapsed on her hands and knees, breathing and sweating heavily. After a minute, she pushes herself to her feet and I see twenty-seven cuts all over her body.

Thankfully, most of them are shallow, and have already begun to scab over.

She looks up at Ino with murderous rage in her eyes.

Ino on the other hand is smiling victoriously, completely sweat free and twirling a kunai around her index finger.

"Alright," Asuma says. "Next let's see how strong you are..."

**~ Kiba**

"You smell her Akamaru?" I ask.

He yaps happily in response before jumping off my shoulders and racing towards the other end of clearing.

"Akamaru!"

I see her race out of the foliage and drop to her knees. She scoops up Akamaru and hugs his close as he licks her cheek.

She laughs as he jumps off of her and runs back to me.

"G-good morning H-Hanayo-san," Hinata stammers from somewhere behind us.

"Morning Hinata," she says with a smile. "You too Shino, Kiba."

"How are you feeling Hanayo?"

She looks up to Kurenai, swallowing hard.

"A little nervous," she confesses. "I'm not sure how cut out I am to be a ninja."

"What makes you think that?" Kurenai asks.

"Well, I'm not very strong, or fast," she replies, a pink tinge appearing in her cheeks. "Well I used to think I was until I came here."

A smile spreads across Kurenai's face.

"I figured as much," she says, pulling four bands from her kunai pouch. "We'll fix that soon. Take these."

Hanayo obeys, stepping up to Kurenai with her hands held out. Kurenai places them in her hands, but once she lets go Hanayo falls down to the ground.

"W-wha? What are these?" she gasps as she tries to lug them past waist level.

"Weight bands," Kurenai explains casually. "Two go around your wrists, the other two on your ankles."

"How heavy are these?" Hanayo gasps.

"I started small, so these are seven pounds each. We'll see if you can graduate to ten in two weeks."

Hanayo just gaped at her.

I tried not to laugh, but her expression was comedic.

Kurenai crouches down, gesturing for Hanayo to do the same. But she doesn't really crouch, she kind of collapses.

Kurenai takes one of the weighs from her and pours her chakra into it. Hanayo watches in amazement as it expands.

"Extend your leg please," Kurenai asks.

Hanayo obeys, watching in fascination and slight horror as Kurenai slips the weight over her foot and shrinks the band back to its original size.

She does the same to her other foot and her wrists before standing back up

"Alright," Kurenai says as she dusts her hands off. "We'll start the warm up lap now. Kiba, Akamaru, be nice since it's Hanayo's first day."

I nod, trying to compose myself as Hanayo struggles to stand.

I offer a hand to her, but she hesitates for a moment before taking it. I pull her to her feet in one fluid motion, grinning as she sways unsteadily, trying to keep herself from toppling over.

"Ready?" I ask her.

She nods as she pushes her feelings about the weights aside. Her blue eyes spark with newfound determination as she looks up at me.

"Lead the way."

**~ Sasuke**

She wasn't that bad at the shuriken forms.

Or at least, she was a quick learner.

After the first dozen tries she began hitting the target. Then within the next half hour her kunais came within inches of the bull's eye.

It was her wrist movements that caused her kunai to swerve to the left. But she hadn't picked up on this yet.

I guess in this situation most guys would use the classic moves. Use her mistakes as an excuse to put your arms around her and guide her through the motions. But then again, I don't resort to cheap moves like those.

So I correct her hand only, showing her only how to snap her wrist so the kunai flies straight. It works, and within the next dozen tries she hits the bull's eye.

I feel a small smile tug at the corners of my mouth as her eyes light up.

"Thanks," she says as she goes to gather up the discarded weapons.

"Not bad for a beginner."

She jumps slightly before turning around.

Kakashi steps up next to me, followed by a less than happy Sakura and Naruto.

"Thanks," she replies nervously, pulling the kunai out of the wooden post.

"Looks like you two are getting along well," Kakashi states calmly.

"Well Sasuke's a great teacher," she replies calmly before turning to me. "Thanks for being patient with me."

I just shrug in response before Sakura can explode on Kurama.

"KURAMA!"

She turns to see her sisters running towards her with teams eight and ten lagging behind them. A smile spreads across her face as they reach her, panting and sweating.

"What's the matter Hanayo?" she asks. "Usually you're faster than Azusa."

Her sister looks up at her, raising her arm with some difficulty, revealing a weighted band that rests on her wrist.

"Strength training," she gasps before falling into a sitting position.

"Not a bad idea Kurenai," Kakashi mused as he examined the bands. "But I think we'll start that tomorrow. It looks like these two have had a hard first day."

Her sisters definitely look more worn out than her. The other one is covered in scratches that have recently scabbed over, and the muscles in her arms are trembling.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

We all turn to look at Naruto, who's jumping up and down excitedly.

"It's lunch time! Let's go get some ramen!" he yells.

"NO!" Choji...I think his name is, yells. "BARBEQUE!"

The three of them start laughing as the two idiots continue arguing.

I smile mentally as I watch the light glint of her hair and the light flush in her cheeks.

Something must be wrong with me. But I can't decide if I like it or not.

**~Author's Notes~**

**Hey guys! I'm finally done! ~(^0^)~ so sorry this took so long. I'm not used to writing Kiba or Shika so it took a while for me to figure this chapter out.**

**Well see yah next time!**

**Mitsu-chan**


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